This dissertation addresses a regional style of commemorative architecture which arose in the Indus Valley in the wake of the Muslim conquest in the 8th century. It is based on materials collected during extensive fieldwork in Pakistan. The basic elements of the Indus Valley tombs are identified with reference to four buildings in an authentic state of preservation, one in Baluchistan and three in northern Sind. These characteristics include the square plan, a distinctive squinch type, and carved brick decoration concentrated on the exterior surfaces. While these features are briefly compared to correlary elements in the architecture of Khorasan, they are shown to relate most closely to aspects of the indigenous non-Muslim building traditions.

The next phase of the architectural sequence is epitomized by a unique structure outside Multan in the Punjab. The epigraphic frame around the mihrab in this building permits a precise dating to the last decades of the 12th century, and the identification of a patron in the army of the Ghurid invaders from Afghanistan named Ali b. Karmakh. This information clarifies the monument's stylistic and functional peculiarities. Ultimately, it is argued that the building was a ribat rather than a simple tomb, as is usually claimed.

The final chapters of the thesis are devoted to the description and analysis of a necropolis near Dera Ismail Khan. Four structures there maintain the traditional squinch form and brickworking styles even as they exhibit a new element, glazed tile decoration. It is argued that the Indus Valley craftsmen, learning from refugees fleeing from the Mongols, began to incorporate turquoise, blue and white accents into familiar modes of architectural decoration, thereby giving birth to a distinctive new style termed "brick and band".

In conclusion, the tomb of Rukn al Din Rukn-i Alam in Multan is highlighted as the culmination of this evolution, while the architecture of Sind is shown to follow a different stylistic trajectory after the 12th century.